UK still plans to end sale of new diesel and gasoline cars by 2040, report say

Costas Pitas

The UK still plans to end the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars by 2040 and will set out more detail as soon as this week, a government source said after a report suggested the plans were being watered down.

LONDON – The UK still plans to end the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars by 2040 and will set out more detail as soon as this week, a government source said after a report suggested the plans were being watered down.

Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government said last year it would ban new gasoline and diesel cars from 2040 although the Financial Times said on Monday that the plans had been downgraded to a "mission."

Several UK city leaders, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan, have called on the government to bring forward the plan by 10 years to 2030.

There has also been confusion over whether the proposals will include hybrid models, which have both an electric and combustion component.

A government source told Reuters that there had been no change.

"We will end the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel engine cars by 2040," the source said on condition of anonymity. "It's not government policy to ban hybrids."

The earliest ministers will detail the plans, known as "Road to Zero," is on Wednesday but they are unlikely to come so soon, the source added.

The document has already been delayed as Britain's transport, business and environment ministries discuss the final proposals.

Automakers have been particularly angry about any restrictions on hybrid models, which are seen by some as a transitional technology as the uptake of purely electric cars ramps up.